BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – For the second-straight round a late Samford goal helped the Bulldog soccer team advance in the Southern Conference Tournament. This time, Sam De Luca netted a goal with just over two minutes left in regulation to send Samford to the SoCon Tournament championship game with a 1-0 win over Furman in Sunday's semifinal game at Shauna Yelton Field.
 
With the win, Samford improved its record to 11-6-3. The Bulldogs will play at Western Carolina in the championship game next Sunday, Nov. 10. This marks the 10^th time Samford has reached the finals of the SoCon Tournament, and the Bulldogs have won the event five times. Furman ends its season with a record of 10-7-3.
 
"I guess we have a flare for late-game dramatics," Samford head coach Todd Yelton said. "Our kids battled. You have to tip your hat to Furman, those kids played really hard. That was a game that I'm not sure anybody deserved to lose. Our thoughts and prayers are with (Furman player) Tara Katz, who got hurt early. The way those kids battled after losing her, I've got nothing but respect for them. I've got a lot of respect for my kids because they could have folded a couple of times. We had to deal with a lot of balls in the air, especially on set pieces. We found one there at the end, so we're super thankful for it."
 
The teams played through the first half in a scoreless tie. Furman took six shots in the first half, while Samford had two shots in the first period, but neither team could find the back of the net.
 
The game remained scoreless late into the second half. De Luca netted her fifth goal of the season off an assist from Hanna Rae Himes in the 88th minute to send Samford to the title game.
 
Whitaker Buchanan led Samford with two shots in the game. Peyton Hull played the full 90 minutes in goal, saving five shots without allowing a goal.
 
For Furman, Ava King led the team with two shots. Reese DeJong played the entire game in goal, saving five shots, while allowing just one goal.
 
Sunday's game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and live stats will also be available online. For links to follow all Samford soccer games this season, click on the following link: 2024 SOCCER SCHEDULE.




 
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